Q2 2026 Converged TV Marketplace Outlook: Stability, Momentum, and the Value of Planning Across Screens

As we move into Q2 2026, the Converged TV marketplace continues to reflect a dynamic blend of tightening linear conditions and expanding CTV opportunity—an environment that rewards agile planning and an integrated view of the video landscape. At Rainstorm Direct, we’re seeing the quarter take shape around a few defining forces:

• increased scarcity across premium linear supply,
• the ongoing transformation of streaming into a scaled and stable performance engine,
• and a surge in cross platform sports demand that is influencing investment strategies across the board.

Linear will begin the second quarter with rates holding steady—slightly higher than February—and a marketplace where broadcast prime, sports, and news are increasingly well sold. Even as linear TV spend softens and viewership continues to decline year over year, diligent buyers remain disciplined and performance-oriented, keeping demand high for the dayparts and genres that still deliver strong, predictable value. Seasonal categories like outdoor, Easter, and Mother’s Day continue to add pressure on inventory. Yet despite ongoing news preemptions, liability remains low, with limited make goods and enough cable inventory to manage clearance without compromising performance.

The scatter marketplace remains a bright spot. Pharma continues to lead the way in spending by category, followed by heavy activity from insurance, supplements, finance, CPG, and telecom advertisers. We’re also seeing emerging momentum from categories like travel, nonprofits, and home improvement, while softer spending in auto has opened pockets of opportunity for direct response advertisers to reassert their presence in linear.

CTV Drives Marketplace Growth

Meanwhile, CTV continues to be the engine of marketplace growth. Q2 is shaping up to be another quarter where streaming demand rises on the back of stable pricing and expanding supply. With CTV spend projected to reach $7.8 billion (+15.1% YoY) according to The Trade Desk, and CPMs expected to remain flat, the environment offers brands an uncommon combination of value, scale, and predictability. Low publisher fill rates—often under 30%—are creating cost efficient access to premium environments across buy types, while the growth of ad supported subscriber bases continues to unlock high quality inventory at a rapid pace. Increasingly, CTV is not just an incremental extension of video plans but a core performance channel, bolstered by improved measurement, outcome based buying, and the rise of self service platforms that give advertisers more control than ever.

Sports remains the connective tissue across all screens, driving consistently high demand and shaping the way brands think about reach and impact. March Madness, the NBA and NHL Playoffs, MLB, and early World Cup activity are all contributing to a competitive Q2 marketplace, while programmatic access to live sports inventory continues to expand. This is particularly true across FAST, MVPD, and OEM supply paths, where growing availability and rising viewer attention have made sports increasingly accessible without the premium pricing once associated with traditional models. FAST environments, in particular, are now approaching subscription level attention metrics, positioning them as an efficient, high value component of cross screen sports strategies.

Sponsorships are also experiencing a noticeable evolution. This quarter, we expect to see more flexible, short flight integrations and cross platform partnerships driven by tentpole sports moments and season finales. At the same time, the convergence of retail media and CTV is accelerating the growth of shoppable opportunities, offering brands increasingly seamless pathways from exposure to conversion. FAST and AVOD sponsorships continue to democratize access to premium placements, giving advertisers new, efficient ways to connect with audiences at scale.

The Importance of a Converged TV Approach

Collectively, these conditions reinforce the importance of a truly converged approach to TV planning. The scarcity of premium linear supply, paired with the stability and elasticity of CTV, demands a strategy that looks beyond channel silos and instead focuses on managing total reach, incremental value, and measurable outcomes across the full video ecosystem. At Rainstorm Direct, we continue to believe that the brands who succeed in Q2 and beyond will be the ones who embrace flexibility, diversify access points, and ground their decisions in unified performance insights rather than legacy constructs.

Q2 will offer both constraint and opportunity—but in combination, those forces are what make Converged TV one of the most powerful environments for brands looking to drive meaningful business impact. With disciplined planning, cross screen agility, and a willingness to evolve with the marketplace, advertisers can turn this quarter’s complexities into clear competitive advantage.